Palmer A Perfect Fit

Quarterback Carson Palmer is introduced after being traded to the Oakland Raiders.

Carson Palmer is not just returning to the NFL but also to his native state of California. If only that was where the familiarity stops but wait there’s more. The Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, who has credited himself with making this blockbuster deadline deal, has known Carson for a long time. Jackson recruited a young Carson Palmer to the University of Southern California. Hue Jackson coached Carson in college.

The Cincinnati Bengals made Palmer the first overall selection in the 2003 NFL draft after a successful collegiate career in which he won the Heisman Trophy in 2002 as the Nations Top Player. From 2004-2006 Hue Jackson coached the receivers in Cincinnati whilst Carson enjoyed some of his best years as a pro and was awarded with two-pro bowl appearances. Between 2005 and 2006 Carson threw for almost 8,000 yards and 60 touchdowns. He was intercepted a measly 25 times.

Carson Palmer throws around at practice with his new teammates.

Every year that Carson has started all 16 games, every year except for 2, he’s thrown for at least 21 touchdowns and had a QB rating of 82.4 or higher. He’s also completed over 60% of his passes in each of those years.

So what does it all mean? Well Oakland fans should be excited! For the first time, since Rich Gannon lead them to a Super Bowl, they have a REAL quarterback. Carson Palmer is a huge asset to any team who struggles at the QB position in a QB driven league. The quarterback is the only player who touches the ball on every play. They literally have a bigger impact on the game than any other player.

The Raiders giving up two high picks for Palmer isn’t as big a deal as everyone would have you believe. First of all, with Palmer there the pick won’t be as high as say when they chose Darious Heyward-Bay. Not only that this team has a great running back in Darren McFadden, a strong O-Line and a relentless defence. Unfortunately they don’t have time to develop a quarterback. The time is now.

4 responses to “Palmer A Perfect Fit”

Great write up but how different is the offence in Oakland compared to Cinci? Is a guy that hasnt played football in 10 months, since the off season, going to come in right away and make an impact? Are they going to get away from the running game with McFadden that has been working so well. I am all for oakland gettin Palmer but the price is high. With middle first rounders you are looking at Defensive players that can step in and make an impact right away.

I think McFadden is the reason why he can start this weekend. Palmer needs to only throw 17-20 passes and they’ll beat cinncy. Rely on McFadden to move the ball and let Palmer throw some deep balls to Bey and Ford to shake the rust.

I would have to agree Sedrick, the Raiders are in a great position with their ground game which will make the adjustment easier for Palmer. The familiarity with Jackson also helps too. The best part about this is that the Raiders know exactly what they are getting with Palmer. It’s not like he’s a rookie that they’ve never seen. He’s a 31-year old 2-time pro bowler who knows and understands the game. Even a simplified playbook will allow Palmer to stretch the Defence enough to give McFadden the room he needs.

I agree with Grayson that the price was too high. And here’s something that has been overlooked in this whole thing: Carson Palmer was brought in to replace Jason Campbell. What happens when Campbell returns. It’s not like the Raiders were struggling with Campbell. In fact, I think I could argue that Campbell fits the Raiders run-first offense better than Palmer does.

I have issues with Palmer as well. I have owned Cincinnati receivers during that last handful of NFL seasons so I followed his stats maybe a little closer than others. Way too many 15-32, 172 yards types games from Palmer over the years. Nothing about Carson Palmer excites me.

Also, Ryan mentioned how the NFL is a quarterback driven league more than ever these days, which I completely agree with. Unfortunately, top tier quarterbacks don’t stay away from the game for 10 months. It will take probably 6 weeks for Carson to get into game condition. Even in Carson’s Pro Bowl seasons, I’m still not convinced he’s one of those top tier guys. The completion % is there but the yardage is not.

However, after saying all of this, I really think the Raiders are a good team. Even with Palmer, I think they will stil find their way to a 10-win season. Just don’t be surprised when Palmer eventually takes a back seat to Jason Campbell late in the season.